“This is just to show how easy life is when there is two of something rather than one”, says the Hotel Manager in “The Lobster”, as one of the protagonist’s hands is restrained using a small lock. This is pretty much what this movie is all about: a near-future society obsessed with couples; viewing couples as the normality, as opposed to single people who are viewed as unproductive and undesirable. In that way, the film shows David (Colin Farrell), a newly single person who is transferred to the Hotel, a place where single people have just 45 days to find a suitable mate, and, if they fail, they would be transformed into animals of their choice.

Story: Based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith “The Price of Salt“, “Carol” is a romantic drama set in the 1950s in New York. It is about a young department-store clerk, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), and her “forbidden” relationship with a much older affluent woman, Carol (Cate Blanchett), who goes through a bitter divorce.

Director: Todd Haynes.

Leads: Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Analysis: The film has to be outstanding regarding its directing and acting merits. “Carol” competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2015, where Mara won the Best Actress Award (shared), and the film also topped the Golden Globe nominations. Highsmith’s novels enjoyed quite a success on screen, for example, both Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999) and Hossein Amini’s “The Two Faces of January” (2014) were reviewed positively by critics; and the in-depth exploration of same-sex relationships on screen is becoming quite a trend, for example, see “Blue is the Warmest Color” (2013) and “Clouds of Sils Maria” (2014). Overall, no fault found so far.

Conclusion: “Carol” promises to be a touching film, full of inexplicable emotion and depth. A definite must-watch.

‘The Visit’ is the 11th movie of director M. Night Shyamalan, probably still best known for his film ‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999). In ‘The Visit’, Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) and Becca (Olivia DeJonge), brother and sister, visit their grandparents whom they have never previously seen. Once at their grandparents’ cottage, the duo starts making a video diary of their visit, depicting their day-to-day activities at the cottage. However, what at first glance looks like a promising and comfy stay at their long-lost relatives’ place turns out to be an experience they would never forget. Read more of this post